Ukrainian Students Receive Prizes for Research on Soviet Propaganda
How did Soviet propaganda influence social values in Ukraine? This was the leading question of this year’s Ukrainian History Competition, organised jointly by DVV International Ukraine and NOVA DOBA, the All-Ukrainian Association of History and Civic Education Teachers. “The Soviet Past: (Re)Thinking History Through the Prism of Propaganda” was this year’s topic.
660 students and teachers from nearly all Ukrainian regions teamed up in groups of 3 to 5 persons and started their research. They dived deep into archives and conducted interviews to track how public perception of specific values changed from the Soviet era to the present. 112 entries were submitted, with the jury selecting 44 winning entries, that were invited to the award ceremony.
At the online award ceremony on 21 May, a special challenge awaited the winners: A random draw decided who had the opportunity to present their research to the audience, thus receiving valuable feedback and remarks from the jury and organisers alike.
In the end, five groups were awarded a first prize:
- “You are a woman! You are (not) a leading character of your life” from the Mykolaiv Lyceum named after Mykola Arkas. The study is devoted to gender stereotypes of the Soviet era. Authors: Veronika Kupchynska, Kateryna Perelyot, Kateryna Popova, tutored by Iryna Lobodovska.
- “Soviet school: territory of (un)freedom” from the Kyiv Gymnasium “Troyeshchyna.” The project explores the peculiarities of school education and the role of propaganda in it. Authors: Nadiya Chornoivan, Yulia Klepko, Danylo Okhrimchuk, Vladyslav Shcheblyaev, Sofia Shchepotko, Samira Takhmazova, Oleksandr Vitort, tutored by Olha Dudar.
- “We are the sunrise of our country!” was submitted by students from schools No 3 and 5 from Cherkasy. Their work studies the public perception of responsibility in Soviet times and modern Ukraine. Authors: Vika Babych, Snizhana Ishchenko, Anna Kovba, Ivanna Kutova, Diana Musienko, Polina Mushta, Yeva Opara, Arina Rosokha, Iryna Smyk, Liliya Sokolova, Kristina Yurchenko, tutored by Natalia Hrytsenko.
- “In search of identity: NOT fraternal nations” from students of Lviv school No 50, dedicated to studying Soviet narratives about Ukrainian-Russian relations. Authors: Andriy Amelin, Davyd Ivanyk, Veronika Kudryavtseva, Bogumyr Kuharuk, Yehor Kutskyi, Maryana Slavytynska, Sofia Kolos, tutored by Olena Sabadash.
- “The Friendship of the Peoples: Echoes Through the Years" is a project by the Chereshenskiy Lyceum students in the Chereshenki, Chernihiv region. It is about the persistence of Soviet myths in international relations. Authors: Daryna Hulak, Sofia Kandina, Victoria Perunok, Artem Titovchenko, tutored by Hanna Savych.
All presentation of the first prize winners and the other 39 awarded works can be found on the competition’s official website.
There was also international audience to congratulate the winners: The German embassy in Ukraine sent a congratulatory video, while a representative of German Körber-Stiftung held a welcome address. Next to certificates and gifts, the winners of the competition also earned a chance to participate in two international events. Students can apply for a History Camp in Riga, Latvia, this October, while teachers will attend an international seminar in Budva, Montenegro.
The competition is a part of the international project “A Toolkit for Critical History Teaching", financed by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. The project's main partners are DVV International and Körber-Stiftung. It is implemented jointly by DVV International representative offices and local NGOs: Teachers Association NOVA DOBA (Ukraine), The National Association of Young Historians of Moldova ANTIM (Moldova), Soviet Past Research Laboratory (SovLab) and GAHE - Georgian Association of History Educators (Georgia), and "Hazarashen" Armenian Center for Ethnological Studies (Armenia).